Just a few of the interesting dog bite-related statistics from dogexpert.com :

* There are approximately 4.5 million reported dog bites annually in the United States (nearly 2% of the American population).
* According to the American Medical Association, dog bites are the second leading cause of childhood injury, surpassing playground accidents.
* Dog bites to people of the male gender are approximately two times greater than the incidence involving females.
* Dogs that are licensed with an identifiable owner are implicated in the vast majority of dog bites (compared with strays).
* The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention document that a chained dog is 2.8 times more likely to bite than an unchained dog.
* Canines not spayed or neutered are three times more likely to bite than sterilized ones.
* The majority of dog bites to adult humans are inflicted to the lower extremities followed by bites to the upper extremities including the head, face and neck. For children, 77% of dog bite injuries are to facial areas.
* According to the Insurance Information Institute, dog bites accounted for about one-quarter of all claims on homeowner's insurance
* From 1979 to 1998, at least 25 breeds of dogs have been involved in bite related deaths. Pit Bulls and Rottweilers were involved in more than 50 percent of these incidences.

My last three homes (covering 20 years), my HO insurance company (same one) has always asked at issuance: Own dogs? How many? What breed? Bite history?